After sitting out the season opener, New Orleans Saints rookie defensive tackle Akiem Hicks made his debut against the Carolina Panthers. Hicks, the Saints' third-round draft pick, seemed to pick up where he left off in the preseason.

Although Hicks was in on just one tackle, he was disruptive at times during what he estimated was 20 defensive snaps.

In the third quarter, Hicks, who faced an occasional double team, beat Carolina left guard Amini Silatolu with a power move and hit Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, forcing an incompletion.

"It was awesome to get my first few snaps in the NFL," Hicks said. "But it doesn't have the same feeling when you lose. It's the same, but it still feels good to get out there and actually get to play. But it took a little luster away from it.

"I did pretty well on a lot of the snaps. My ratio was pretty good as far as good plays and bad plays. I'm just going to go out there and continue to get better."